Simplicity | Clothes make the man
Series: Simple. Quiet. Present. | Bible text: Luke 12:22–31; Genesis 3:7–10 & 21
Clothes reveal something of our inner selves and where we seek our worth and identity. We often try to cover up our insecurities and shame ourselves. God invites us not to define our worth by our outward appearance, but to receive our identity from him. Simplicity means: I do not need to prove who I am through my clothes.
Today we come to the second sermon on simplicity. It is not about simplicity for its own sake, but rather it is intended to help us honour God with our whole lives. It is an expression of an inner reality which is then manifested outwardly in simplicity. Last Sunday I preached on the heart and language. At the heart of simplicity lies the question of identity. Who am I? That is what we are looking at again today. It is about our clothing and what effect it has on us!
Back when I was still dating, I’d always ask someone what I looked like before I left the house. I went to a lot of trouble over it. I wanted to make an impression, so my appearance was very important to me. Even today, I still always think very carefully about what I’m going to wear. Is it the same for you? You know what? Other people don’t even notice this, because they’re so preoccupied with themselves!
What clothes do to us
In the reading, we heard about worrying. Jesus links our concern for life with our concern for clothing. «Can all your worries prolong your life by even a single moment? Of course not! And if your worries have no effect even in such small matters, what is the point of worrying about bigger things? Just look at the lilies, how they grow. They do not work, nor do they sew their own clothes, and yet Solomon, in all his splendour, was not as beautifully dressed as one of them.» (Luke 12:25–27 NLB). The fear that Jesus speaks of is a deeper fear. Namely, how we are perceived in our bodies. So it is not merely: ‘How do I survive?’ but also: ‘What impression do I make?’ There is a healthy and an unhealthy form of this!
But what lies behind this? What is this deeper fear? To find out, we delve into the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve ate from the tree that gave them the knowledge of good and evil. «At that moment, their eyes were opened and they suddenly realised that they were naked. So they wove fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. When it grew cool in the evening, they heard the Lord God walking in the garden. So they hid amongst the trees. The Lord God called to Adam, ‚Where are you?‘ He replied, ‚When I heard you walking in the garden, I hid myself. I was afraid because I am naked.‘» (Genesis 3:7–10 NLB). This is the first mention of fear! And they felt it because they were naked! Adam and Eve realised how far they had strayed from what God desires (their sin), and they felt ashamed. Clothing is humanity’s response to sin. They make clothes out of fear. We humans live with shame – the feeling of being bad and unlovable – and the fear that others might discover this. Shame is an unpleasant, deep-seated feeling of embarrassment or exposure, often accompanied by a sense of inadequacy. The serpent, which tempts the couple, casts doubt on God’s love. Clothes give us the feeling of being somebody! Figuratively speaking, but also in terms of their effect. «At that moment, their eyes were opened and they suddenly realised that they were naked. So they wove fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.» (Genesis 3:7 NLB). They make themselves clothes out of fig leaves. They save themselves by their own means. People try to cover their own nakedness.
Our experiment
Jesus tells us in the reading, and Paul does so here as well, exactly how our relationship with clothing should not be: «Wherever you gather, I would now like the men, when they pray, to raise their hands in purity to God. They must not be defiled by anger or quarrelling. And I would like the women to show restraint in their appearance, by dressing modestly and not drawing attention to themselves through their hairstyles or by wearing gold, pearls or costly clothing. For women who wish to honour God should be attractive through their good deeds.» (1 Timothy 2:8–10 NLB). This passage has often been misused as a tool of oppression. Yet it actually shows us a way of life that pleases God! At its core, the point is that our outward appearance reflects what is inside – whether in our relationship with God or with one another. Expensive clothes and jewellery can be a sign that our hearts are attached to material possessions. Anger and quarrelling show that peace, patience and forgiveness are lacking. I would like to focus here on clothing and say, dear men, this applies to us too! If this passage teaches us anything, it is this: clothing matters!
Another text also addresses this: «Do not worry about outward beauty, which is based on fashionable hairstyles, expensive jewellery or fine clothes. Your beauty should come from within – that is the imperishable beauty of a kind and gentle heart, which God values so highly.» (1 Peter 3:3–4 NLB). Here, too, the passage is addressed to women, and it sounds once again as though it is imposing a restriction. As I said, we are looking at the theme of simplicity. The point is to consider why we act the way we do!
St Peter tells us: Don’t choose your clothes to impress others! This is our deepest fear! The problem behind this is: if I rely on other people to see my beauty, then that means I am not aware of my own beauty! If a certain style makes me feel as though I belong, then I am not aware of my sense of belonging! If I have to wear expensive clothes to feel valuable, then I am not aware of my own worth. Peter says that beauty comes from within! That is why followers of Jesus are invited to invest their attention and energy in inner beauty.
I’m not saying you should just dress in sackcloth and ashes – it doesn’t matter what you look like. It’s about what your clothes do for you and what you express through them! Clothes communicate! And just like language, they always do so! Jesus, Peter and Paul invite us to follow a path towards freedom from fear and shame. We humans are tempted to conceal our true selves or to overemphasise them. Clothes play an important role here. We need them to express various things: our indifference, the importance of an occasion, our desire to see ourselves as beautiful, our desire to set ourselves apart, to provoke or to show our sense of belonging. Another way of dealing with our nakedness is by investing heavily in our bodies to distract from our vulnerabilities. «There are many whose outward appearance is richly clothed, yet whose souls are clad in rags, whilst others, whose clothes are tattered and worn, radiate nothing but splendour from within» (Frederick Brotherton Meyer).
God’s answer
Essentially, we all stand naked before God. Recently, my eldest son asked: «Mummy, do we go to God completely naked?» Do you know what? We already are. This nakedness before God requires «atonement». Atonement refers to an act through which reparation is made. We humans constantly try to do this by doing good deeds, by being good, decent people, and in this way we seek to please God. But this is all just a façade and distracts from our nakedness! Yet that nakedness is still there beneath our clothes!
Only God can cover our innermost inadequacies – and He does! «And the Lord God made garments of animal skins for Adam and his wife, and clothed them» (Genesis 3:21 NLB). Clothing is a gift from God, designed to cover our bodies, our sin and our shame with the beauty of God Himself. Ultimately, it is precisely God’s love – which Eve and the serpent doubted – that saves us!
Only when we realise that God provides for us just as we are (naked before him) can we be freed from shame, sin and fear. Salvation through God comes about through the shedding of blood. Back in the Garden of Eden, blood was shed to cover Adam and Eve. Jesus Christ shed his blood and thereby covered our shame and guilt before God. Therefore, we do not need to clothe ourselves to distract from anything. Rather, we must put on Jesus Christ. «Put off all these things and put on a new robe: Jesus Christ the Lord. […]» (Romans 13:14 NGÜ). A follower of Jesus does things because he is clothed. A religious person does things in order to clothe himself.
How can we develop a healthy relationship with clothes? I drew inspiration from a sermon on this subject.
Firstly: move away from fashion and towards style. Fashion is constantly changing – some shops have up to 24 collections a year. It costs a fair bit of money and time to stay up to date – but in the end, you can never quite keep up. That’s why it’s important to develop your own style, one that can remain the same over the years.
Secondly: moving away from excess towards setting a limit. We live in a society of excess. That is why it is important to set ourselves a limit. Not necessarily a financial one, as fast fashion makes clothes very cheap. We usually think we’ve got it under control. Yet statistics – which usually seem to apply only to other people – show that we never wear a third of all our clothes, or wear them no more than five times, and that on average, an item of clothing is worn 7–10 times. Limits can make us feel as though we’re missing out. They give us the chance to discover joy in the little things or in the things we already have. Setting a budget helps us stick to a limit.
Thirdly: We need to leave idealistic notions behind and face reality. I’m turning 35 tomorrow! I don’t have to look like someone in their early 20s! Facing reality can mean buying clothes that fit properly, not a size too small! It’s about accepting yourself. Yes, you need to look after your body. But the best way to improve is to admit to yourself that there is a problem! And our problem is that we often succumb to an ideal, which ultimately leads not to freedom, but to oppression!
Possible questions for the small group
Read the Bible passages: Luke 12:22–31; Genesis 3:7–10 & 21
- What effect does clothing have on you? To what extent does it influence how you look and how others perceive you?
- In what ways are you tempted to base your self-worth or identity on your appearance? What might you be trying to convey through your clothes, style, body or demeanour?
- Adam and Eve try to cover their own nakedness. Where do we recognise this pattern in our own lives? What do we do to hide our insecurities, shame or feelings of inadequacy?
- Peter speaks of a beauty that comes «from within». What does that mean for you, specifically? Which aspect of inner beauty would you like to see flourish more in your life?
- «A follower of Jesus does things because he is clothed. A religious person does things in order to clothe himself.» What does this sentence make you think of? In what ways might you still be acting in order to prove something to yourself or to others?
- God clothes Adam and Eve. What does it mean to you that God does not simply expose our shame, but covers it Himself? What changes when you receive your worth from Him?
- What might be a practical step towards «simplicity» in your wardrobe? For example: buying less, developing your own style, setting a budget, shopping more mindfully, or defining yourself less by your appearance.
